This 5-Minute Test Reveals Your ‘Happiness Score’

Am I happy? It’s one of those questions that I revisit a lot. Especially now, as a global pandemic continues to restrict life’s simple pleasures like going out to dinner or taking a walk with friends, it’s important to check in with yourself to see exactly how you’re weathering this unusual storm. You can measure your joy in minutes using a tool created according to the practices of the folks living in the Blue Zones, the happiest, longest-living people in the world.

For those who live in Blue Zones like Sardinia, Italy and Okinawa, Japan, it’s not unusual to live to be a centenarian with no health problems in sight. These well-being pros live their lives according to nine pillars that touch all aspects of life from fitness (“move naturally”) to volunteerism (“live a life of purpose”) to diet (“plants, plants, and more plants”). With the five-minute Blue Zones True Happiness Test, you can see how your life compares so you can begin making small, but scaleable changes to your longevity and happiness.

The 15-question happiness quiz kicks off by asking you about your background, but then wade into heavier, more diverse topics, including: how much fulfillment you get from your job; how much time you spend helping others; your income; positivity levels; how much shut-eye you get; and the number of vacation days you take in a given year. As I took my own test (I scored a B—and definitely have work to do), I found myself stuck on a question about how much I laugh each day and another on whether or not I could summarize my life’s purpose on the spot. Quickly, I discerned that the quiz was short—but not necessarily easy.

Once you’ve wrapped up your quiz and received your score, the folks at the Blue Zones will make lifestyle suggestions based on your answers that, hopefully, will lead to you scoring higher in the months or years to come. One of my suggestions, for example, was to create a “Moia”—an Okinawan concept for a group of friends who support each other through the ebbs and flows of life. And while there were plenty of other suggestions to better my mental, physical, and spiritual health where that came from, it’s the one Blue Zone’s tip I’m putting at the top of my to-do list.